The Destiny of Youth
by GoddessLove
Summary: A last battle between Harry and Voldemort leaves them both dead. Harry leaves behind a daughter and a lonely wife. Based on the life of Harry's daughter with her new friends and life after the war. What happens when Potter falls for a Malfoy? Or worse...
1. Prologue

**The Destiny of Youth**

_A/N: I know some of these ships are so never going to happen, but when I first made up this story it was only for fun and I added my friends and I into it, making the parents based on the looks of a person I was creating on what they look like in real life (wow that was confusing, but hopefully you get what im saying). Please don't mind my horrible errors cause I know there are many of them!_

Summary: At the last duel of the war Harry Potter and Lord Voldemort both die while killing eachother breaking the prophecy. This is the story of there kids...

**Prologue**

I flipped through the pages of the album, stopping now and then at a picture of him. My dad. I heard all about him, all the time. People looked at me expectantly. They thought I'd be great, that I'd be like him. But as much of the stories of his heroism I was told, I felt like I didn't know him. And more than anything I wish I did.

There was a picture of him with Mom, they waved to the camera and my father pointed happily at my mother's huge round belly. She was pregnant at the time, with me. The pure smile on my father's face made me smile down at the little photo. I sighed; I wish he were still alive.

Mom told me all the stories about him… how he had saved the philosopher's stone, how he saved Tori's aunt from a young Tom Riddle while fighting a basilisk, how he had done so many amazing things even though the ministry was against him. How he had died in a duel at the same time as Lord Voldemort did, the most Darkest Wizard of all time. I shivered, thinking of the man that had killed my father, who had killed so many others before my father. At least he was gone. And the whole wizarding community owed that to my brave Dad. I wish I could be as brave as him, but I wasn't.

I closed the book and placed the album on my vanity table. The maid would put it back in its correct place. I starred at myself, wishing that I looked a thing like my father. I sighed, nothing except that black hair that lined my hair in straight lines. But was that even his? My mother also had the same black hair, except mine was slightly lighter with a hint of brown. My eyes were simple brown, but it almost was a mahogany in the light. That scared me… mother always described Voldemort with crimson red eyes.

I looked around at my room, feeling foolishly nervous. There was nothing more than the enormous, and pure white bedroom. The walls were blindingly white. The blanket on the bed, the covering canopy, the curtains that hung over the wide window looking over the property's estate- all white. The room was so unnatural, so abnormal- just like how I felt.

My mother had loads of money, people seemed to feel like they owed us something, and the ministry had paid galleons in respect for my father's death. Plus the volt my father left was all in my name, hardly anything compared to the vaults now in my mother's name filled to the brim with jewels. The house was just a reminder; mother loved to show she was rich.

I hopped off the bed and walked down the large stairs, and out to the garden. It was beautiful with flowers of every colour surrounding the massive pool that sat in the middle with waterfalls sprinkling into the chlorinated and heated waters.

Across the large estate, I could see a large house almost as big as mine from the distance. I grinned like a little girl. Koatha Zabini. One of my best friends since… forever. Her father Blaise Zabini was the minister of magic and her mother- Angelina Johnson, a famous quidditich player.

I missed my friend so much. My own mother Cho Chang-Potter made me travel to Paris in the summers and attend event after event of 'social needs' as she called them. Tomorrow I would see Koatha, on the train for our fifth year at Hogwarts- the school of witchcraft and wizardry.


	2. To Fly Away

**The Destiny of Youth**

**Chapter 1:**

**To Fly Away**

Cameras flashed immediately as Cho Chang and I, stepped through the barrier of platform 9 and ¾. The paparazzi was only allowed to take pictures at places sorely hidden from the muggles and since there was hardly any confirmed wizard-only places, the pictures were taken in seconds of arrival, flash after flash as I tried to make my way into the safely of the Hogwarts Express. My mother pushed her way through, her hands up to shade her eyes even though she was wearing overly big sunglasses. With help from some beefy male wizards, we extracted ourselves from the media where we found Victoria Weasley who was my other best friend since birth.

She was hugging her mother goodbye, also trying to avoid the cameras that flashed trying to get a picture of the happy family: Hermione Granger, Ronald Weasley, and their daughters: fifth-teen year old Victoria and eleven year old twins Lisa and Dorothy. They stood out from the crowd and not just because cameras clicked around them, but because the girls had all inherited the Weasley red hair and Hermione's bushy, curly locks. I bounced up to Tori, wrapping my arms around her neck in a big hug, ignoring the rapid flashes of light from multiple cameras.

"Stteeeppphhh!" Tori screamed in delight, squeezing the hug harder. "I missed you so much!"

"Agreed," I said, extracting myself from her arms. "Hey Mr. and Mrs. Weasley, twins," I greeted, nodding my head towards the family. "Crazy in here isn't it?"

"Horribly so," Hermione Granger-Weasley replied. "It has gotten a lot more filled when you and your mother arrived. I see she is being bombarded with questions." I looked over at my mother who certainly didn't seem like she minded the attention. She was leaning over to answer a pointed wand's question. I turned back to the Weasley's. "Keep her safe for me," I murmured to Hermione. She nodded.

"Excited to be sorted?" I asked the twins.

"Tori says the hat is going to eat our heads," Dorothy explained, rolling her eyes.

"That would be awesome!" Lisa crowed, her eyes wide with amazement.

"Gryffindor, that's the only house worth while," Ron argued. "It's the only house you want- my house!"

Tori huffed beside me. "Excuse me!" I laughed, Tori was a puffle.

"Slytherin!" I chanted, knowing Tori's father would explode. "Hopefully you'll be in my house."

"No!" Ron Weasley yelled furiously, but his wife cut him off. "The houses are simply used for house points and sleeping quarters now Ron. The boundaries are long broken and many people are social outside their houses. And example is Victoria and Stephanie."

Mr. Weasley grumbled. "Gryffindor still kicks arse!"

"Housing doesn't even matter anymore," Hermione continued, ignoring her husband. "People know that they can just choose a house thanks to Harry instead of base it on actually skill and personality."

I turned away at Hermione Granger's words. I didn't like hearing about my father, especially not from Ron and Hermione- my father's best friends. It wasn't like I didn't want to know about him, but I wanted to know the whole truth, not just cookie cuts about his feelings. And knowing that my father only loved Gryffindor made my heart moan. The hat placed me in Slytherin five years ago, and somehow I knew it would be better than any other house. I didn't want to be associated with my father… I think.

"Stephanie Darling!" I heard my mother calling. I groaned, photo up.

I made my way to where my mother was, chatting away to the minister of magic. I smiled at Blaise Zabini, asking where his daughter was. "She's on the train getting a seat. With her sister." Kabbyo. I made my way to head on the train, but my mother stopped me.

"Have a nice time in school honey," she said, drawling the words out. "Write me, it gets so lonely without you." I looked up at my mother's deep brown eyes and I knew I would write like I always did. Even though she had many friends, attended call after call of social events, and had more money than what to do with- I knew she was very lonely in that big mansion. She missed Dad, and I wished I did too.

Cho Chang wrapped her perfectly manicured nails around my head and pulled me into a tight hug. I pressed my head against her silk dress and breathed her in. She smelt like a garden of flowers with a dash of honey. I heard a roar of camera clicks. I sighed, I could see the headlines already 'One Last Hug Between Heart Broken Mother and Daughter'.

I stepped onto the train, waving goodbye and headed to the back of the train, the very last booth I knew I'd find my friends, who all knew about the annoying cameras and the poor little rich, spoiled, famous child life. I entered the booth, without saying anything and took a seat right by the window. It was always my seat.

"Not going to say hello?" I turned to look at Koatha Zabini, who was sitting with a new IceBolt03 in her hands. Her small fingers were working over the wood, rubbing it clean. Her hair was swept into a simple ponytail, dark black, cropped short, a little past her chin. Koatha was wearing a cotton beige jacket, with a light pair of slightly loose pants.

"Wow!" I gaped, starring at the broom. "Look at that, top of the line. It's supposed to have amazing air."

"Correct," she said smiling, sticking her tongue out of me. "Spent my summer flying and practicing my moves. The cup is Ravenclaws this year." Koatha was seeker on the Ravenclaw Quidditich team and her small frame made her a blur of speed on the pitch. Sadly- for her any way- Ravenclaw did not win many games even with an amazing seeker.

I started laughing, stretching my legs out over the other seats. "I believe it was my expert scoring skills that made your little catch of the golden snitch worthless last year." I smirked; I was captain and lead chaser on the Slytherin Quidditch team. But sadly we didn't win either.

I looked out the window, scanning the crowd for Tori. My eyes fell over a tall man with bright blond hair that it almost looked white. His gray eyes were strong, hard and determined. The man was dressed in the finest of suits, and his wife stood beside him dressed from head to toe in dead rabbit fur. She was very beautiful with long silky brown hair and bright blue eyes. Lavender Brown with… Draco Malfoy. I shuddered. My mother didn't have many rules in our house. Oh- there was silly ones like you weren't allowed to eat goat cheese in the house because it smelled fowl. Or that no one could see her until eleven in the morning. But the rule that counted most was: You do not socialize with a Malfoy. I knew that it was only because my father despised the now successful businessman, even if he claimed to have turned spy for the ministry and was as sweet as a blood pop.

"I know my parents are shockingly beautiful, but please Potter, have some dignity not too stare." My head flicked to the simply beautiful Marcus Malfoy who was standing at the doorway, smirking with a smile on his snow-white face. His eyes were round and blue as the cleanest water; his lips were a pale pink and plumper than his father's thin ones. Marcus was very tall and lean with lightly defined muscles. His hair was shaggy, falling over his eyes with a light blond shade as white as his father's, but with bits of ash brown in parts of his trusses. He was what the school called a 'God' and it was hard to argue when he was standing a few feet away from you.

"Ha Malfoy, I just suddenly realized where you got your enormously big head from," the lie coming smoothly from my mouth with no stutter. Lying was easy to me.

"Noticing me are you now?" Marcus smiled happily. He was much different than of what I heard Tori's mom and dad describe his father as. Marcus Malfoy may have been pig-headed, but he was never horribly mean or cruel and he always loved to smile. It was just that smirk he had of his father's… that smirk that made my heart beat faster.

"Well if you charge into my booth and make a scene, its hard not too."

His smile grew bigger. "A scene would be grabbing you up at the Feast tonight and snogging you senseless." Marcus waggled his eyebrows at me, I pretended to puke. I glanced at Koatha who was watching our conversation will high amusement ringing on her face.

"Don't make me have to curse you Malfoy, you wouldn't want to mess up your perfectly placed hair. Have too look pretty for your adoring fans." I made a movement like I was shooing him away and laid back down on the cushioned seats.

"Ah, you're right. Gryffindor is going to smoke your house in quidditch _again_ this year." I had my wand out, firing a curse to break his skull. But he managed to dodge out of the way and the spell shattered the glass.

"Goodbye now, Koatha… Potter," Marcus Malfoy waved with a laugh as he walked away from the broken doorway.

"Fighting is wrong Stephanie, how many times do I have to tell you?" Tori came through the broken door with a new book in her hands. She was just like her mother, she loved to read. Many younger students passed by with scared faces as they saw the glass sticking into the chairs and some scattered across the hallway floor.

Koatha waved her wand and the empty windowed door was now replaced with the same glass. "Just a little argument with her boyfriend," she explained.

I rolled my eyes, but I was thinking of his beautiful lips.

"Now, now," Tori said in a taunting voice. "Don't go and make trouble with a Malfoy. You know how much my parents hate him." She knew not to mention my father.

"Sheesh, he really isnt that bad of a guy you know. He's actually very nice," Koatha agrued. I looked up at her. "His father is my father's best friend after all. We go to their mansion a lot for dinner."

A first year opened the door quietly and shyly, looking frightened at three fifth year students. "Stephanie Potter?" the boy asked, biting his lip.

"Yes?" I asked, slightly annoyed.

"I'm Calvin Creevy… my dad said to find you. He has told me many stories about your father. Its just- wow! He said he knew your father. I had to ask, was it true? Or was he just making it up?"

I groaned softly under my breath. Tori sent me a warning look. A fan of my fathers. Wow, another one- big surprise.

"I don't know, why don't you go ask him?" I replied, turning away.

"Wh- what? I thought he- he was… dead?"

I opened my mouth in surprise. "Really? Oh no, did you hear that guys? My father is dead!"

The little boy's eyes widened in horror. "You… you didn't- did not know?"

Koatha was laughing loudly at the boy's reaction. Tori looked disapproving.

"Of course she knew," Tori explained. "I'm Victoria Weasley and I do remember my parents mentioning a Colleen Creevy."

Calvin's mouth opened, shocked. "Wow! Ron Weasley mentioned my Dad?" And he ran out the booth to go tell his new friends.

"Ugh," I moaned, once he was far away. "I hate people like him."

"They're just curious," Tori said. "Our parents are wizard celebrities."

"Oh yeah, lets reward my Dad for dying and leaving his pregnant wife a widow," I hissed angrily.

Tori and Koatha knew not to say anything. They knew how I felt about my Dad ruining my mother, how she cried herself to sleep every night, how she bought diamonds when she was sad, how she couldn't bare to be in a house all by herself.

"So Tori, have you seen my new broom?" Koatha asked, placing her broom in Tori's hands. "Don't break it, I know you can't ride a broom to save your life." I sighed happily, thankful for my friends.


	3. New Arrivial

**The Destiny of Youth**

**Chapter 2:**

**New Arrivial**

I sighed, looking across the tables to my best friends. I hated being in different houses; we hardly ever were together during school except on weekends. Absentmindedly, I swirled my spoon around a vegetable noodle soup and chewed on my bottom lip. I didn't have many close friends in Slytherin, even though it was my favorite house. There wasn't much to say on the losers that were here.

"A new year, time to start things off fresh, you know babe?" Mike Parkinson said in a drawl, leaning over to bump his arm against mine.

I moved away, shooting him a look that said 'back-off'. He continued anyway, but he did not move closer. "Its time too experience new things and baby- you're looking at him." I glanced sideways at his short, cropped hair that was gelled to spike up at the front. His nose was puggish and his face was very square like a box. I shuddered, he was the bane of my existence- a hanger on just like all the people that were nice to me because of my last name. But even so, I kept him around for when I was bored and needed a person to steal me some food from the kitchens or to blab on about useless things. He obviously thought that was because I _liked _him.

"You know you want it," he sneered, holding up his arm that was the only thing muscled on his body. His two arms were uncanny large with muscle and it was disgusting to look at. It was enchanted with one too many spells.

"I'll pass," I replied, pushing the bowl of soup away as well. I grabbed for a piece of bread and nibbled on the end. I heard him groan. I turned to him, raising my eyebrows.

"That looks delicious," he answered, licking his lips. I wanted to puke. I put the bread down, my appetite was lost.

"First off: Yeah right. Second off: Never. And third of all: Freak," I stood up from the table and turned to head back to the common rooms when I bumped into Marcus Malfoy. I tipped backward, but he caught me in his beautiful arms so that I was angled sideways, his back arched. I starred up at his face, his lips were inches away. My brain flashed to what he said on the train: '_Grabbing you up at the Feast tonight and snogging you senseless_'. My heart beat hyperactively. Marcus moved his head closer so his lips were two inches away. I didn't bare breathe.

He noticed my non-breathing and chuckled, his warm breath on my face. "Yeah Right. Never. Freak," he whispered in his beautiful deep voice. My stomach turned, he heard my harsh words to Mike.

Marcus pulled me upright so my feet were firmly on the floor. "Maybe next time," he murmured near my ear. "When you have learned to play nice." And with that he pushed a stray piece of hair behind my ear, and turned to walk back to his table. Koatha, from across the room smiled widely at me. I tilted my head to the side and she got up to come out of the great hall with me. Tori followed when she saw us leave.

But as we walked out of the hall, a teenaged boy was entering at the same time. He smiled lightly at Koatha and I and said in a beautiful silky voice, "Hello." Just hello. But it was his body that made me turn around right then and there to watch him walk up to the headmistress.

He was tall with brood shoulders, and a very defined body of what I could tell under the simple black robes he wore. His hands were hanging loosely, his confidence over-powering and his veins that were crawling up his arms was strangely attractive. His face was a pale white and his nose was angled down and small. His eyes were slightly squinted and a piercing dark black. On his very thin lips was an amused smile, but they stood out from his face by the bright ruby red colour. The boy's hair was gelled back over his head so that it fell only barely on the back of his neck. His face was heart-shaped, beautiful all over with high cheekbones. The apples of his cheeks had a faint blush of pink and a light stubble of dark hair lined his chin flowing up to the bottoms of his ears.

"Whoa, who do you think that is?" Koatha asked, also starring at the amazingly beautiful boy.

"I dunno, does he go here?" I muttered, as I watched the boy bend down and talk in a low voice to the headmistress. She laughed and the boy flashed her a pearly white smile stretching his ruby lips.

Tori walked up to us and stood by our sides, watching us drool. "Rumor has it, he's new."

"New? As in he now goes to Hogwarts?" I couldn't take my eyes off his strong back as he leaned in to hand the headmistress a huge envelope.

"Apparently."

The boy went to sit down at the Slytherin table and he was immediately surrounded by my own house skanks. I growled angrily. "Do you think it would be desperate if I went and just said hello…?" It wasn't really a question, I was already walking to his seat. The boy had a strange allure about him that made me drawn in.

Koatha snapped back first. "Yes!" she hissed, grabbing my arm. To my protests Tori and Koatha managed to drag me out of the Great Hall and we headed out to the tree by the Lake. It was tradition that we spent the night out watching the giant squid instead of partying in our different houses.

"We have to find out who he is!" I argued, wanting desperately to go back and smile at his beautiful face.

"Ugh, just enjoy the lake Stephanie Potter," Koatha said, pulling me down to the soft grass ground. And to my surprise I forgot all about the strange boy when I gazed into the sheer beauty of the outdoors. Finally I was back at home.

It didn't take my long too remember the boy. As I stumbled into the common room to catch an hour or two of sleep before first day back classes, he was sitting on an armchair, curled up and reading a book. He was so concentrated that I wasn't sure if I should make a noise for he'd know I was disturbing his privacy or to just tip toe up the stairs to the girl's dorm.

I decided to tip toe, but as I walked around the armchair to the stairs, a hand reached out to grab my wrist in an iron grasp. I gasped, reaching around for my wand with my other hand. But as I pointed my wand at the beautiful boy who was still sitting comfortably in the armchair, he only smiled sheepishly. "I'm sorry," he said in that silky smooth voice of his. "I just wanted to say good morning."

"Good morning? It's night time." I said, sounding stupid when I realized that it was in fact four o'clock in the morning. "What are you doing up?"

"I couldn't sleep," he answered simply. It was such a common thing to say that it almost made it unreal.

"Well, I am horribly tired… I guess I could be getting to bed," I whispered quietly, pulling away from his iron grip.

"Oh, okay." He took his hand off my wrist and went back to reading his book. I just stood there, starring at his eyes move along the paper. As much as I tried, I couldn't move from that spot. He drew me in and it was so tempting, but strange.

I sat down on the couch across from him and leaned my shoulder on the pillows piled on the side of the couch, fighting the doziness that invaded my body. He looked up when he heard me sit down. "Who are you?" I asked, quite rudely.

"James… Jameson M. Liddre" He answered, with his book still in his long hands.

"What does M. stand for?" Usually I wouldn't have asked, but he made me so curious.

"We all have our secrets," James answered, his piercing gaze on me. "And you are?"

"Stephanie."

"Stephanie what?"

I placed my fingers up to my lips and made a soft shushing sound. His ruby red lips pulled up gently at the side of his mouth.

"Why are you at Hogwarts?"

Jameson only put his pale fingers to his lips and made the same 'shh' I made. "It is time for you to go to bed Stephanie." He said it as if dismissing me.

"Okay," I mumbled and to my surprise I didn't move. My eyelids dropped and I fell asleep on the common room couch.

In the morning I woke up in my bed in the girl's dorm, the blankets pulled up around my body and my shoes placed on the floor beside my bed. I gasped, was it James that put me here? I knew it was… but how did he get past the girl's dorm block? My stomach lurched, Jameson M. Liddre was more powerful than I imagined.


	4. Sparks

**The Destiny of Youth**

**Chapter 3: **

**Sparks**

"What you got?" I asked, stretching myself out on the slightly damp grass, staring at the timetable that the Slytherin Head gave to me that morning.

"Oooh! Charms first- yes!" Koatha cheered happily.

Tori groaned and pouted. "I got charms first too."

Koatha only gave her a death glare. "And what is so bad about having first day back class with me?"

"Simple," I said with a laugh. "First year Tori managed to make her feather burst into flames instead of float. It took the teacher five minutes to get the fire out. Nearly burned a boy to death."

Tori bowed her head. "But Professor said it was a nice piece of magic."

"Have fun," I said, thankful that I wasn't in the same class as Tori for charms. I glanced at my own paper, and instantly took that back. "Defense. With Gryffindor. Great."

"Least you can flirt with Marcus," Koatha smiled as if that was a good thing.

"Yeah, and have my Dad coming back as a ghost to kill me." But as I thought of Marcus Malfoy, my thoughts drifted to a equally handsome boy named Jameson M. Liddre… they were both invading my thoughts that day.

"The bell is going to ring, that's go," Tori interrupted my thoughts by yanking me up under my arms and dragging me back into Hogwarts. "Off you go." Koatha and Tori waved as I made my way down the stairway. Class was getting started, people choosing their spots in the two-seater desks. Kela Bell- who was Gryffindor, but was one of the only ones I could stand- waved to me to take a seat next to her.

As I started to walk over, a hand shot dangerously out and wrapped an arm around my waist, pulling me to the other side of the tables. Marcus Malfoy smirked at me, as he wound his other arm around my waist and brought my back to his chest. "How about you sit with me Potter?" he asked, placing me on a stood, but still not letting go of my waist.

"Take your nasty Gryffindor hands off me," I hissed, trying to pry his linked hands apart.

"I wouldn't say that doll, you're in a room full of people that are unbelievably brave and who all happen to love me." He smiled devilishly and pulled me closer to his body.

"And I got a group of Slytherins all ready to kick your ass." I said, biting my lip to keep from screaming at him. "So-let-go."

To my surprise, Marcus quickly loosened his arms off my waist and placed them on the desk. It was then that I noticed the teacher was standing right behind him with his flaming red hair. He stood with laugher as he watched the two of us.

I gasped. "Uncle Fred!" I screamed, jumping up to wrap my arms around him. Of course, he wasn't my real uncle, but since I had known his since birth, he was always there for my birthday parties, and family dinners at Christmas time. "What are you doing here?"

He laughed and peeled my hands off of him. "I'm back to finish my seventh year." I gave him a look that said you-have-got-to-be-joking-me. And indeed he was. "I'm teaching of course!"

I gave him a shocked look, and many students in the class did as well. Fred had been a hero during the last war where Voldemort had finally been defeated. He stood loyally by my father's side, his brother and himself managing to capture many death eaters with their tricks. Fred Weasley was a celebrity and his life was written in many books so naturally, everyone knew about his leave of Hogwarts before completion.

He walked up to the front desk and placed a black briefcase on the wood and smiled at the class and I. "Oh and it'll be Professor Weasley now, Potter," he winked. "And with that being said, can you and Mr. Malfoy save your extra curricular activities until after class?"

I blushed as people turned to stare at Marcus and I. Marcus only smirked and placed his hands behind his neck looking the picture of ease. I put my hand up, modeling a perfect student.

"Yes, Miss Potter?" _Professor _Weasley asked with a big smile. "I didn't know you were going to be a teacher's pet."

"Isn't it very irresponsible for the headmistress to hire someone who didn't even get to graduation?" I asked, ignoring his common.

Fred scoffed. "Potter, besides the fact that you basically slapped me in my own class, I will tell you that its because people seem to still think this job is still jinxed. Which is absolutely stupid, because really- Voldemort is dead. Your father made sure of that." I shuddered, and I was the only one to do so. No one called him 'you-know-who' anymore, no one was scared. He was dead and the prophecy was complete.

I didn't say anything more and Fred Weasley went on starting his lesson on Defense Against the Dark Arts. I didn't pay much attention; I was too in my own world. I didn't even notice when Marcus poked me in my side when class was over.

"Potter? Potter? I know you try to ignore me, but this is too good even for you." He poked me again and I finally turned from my trance. "Oh sorry," I said, standing up.

Marcus took a double take. "Did you just apologize?"

"No," I snapped, picking my books up and heading to my next class.

Thankfully, Tori was in my class and I ran to sit beside her in Potions. "How was your first class?" She asked, with actual enthusiasm to know.

"MOD." I said, with a sigh, placing my hands on the desk and lying my head down on top of them."

"Oh," she said. "Well it is DADA, he kind of is the defeater of it all."

I stopped her with a hand. "Let's not talk about it, shall we?" I asked and actually paid attention to the teacher talk about correct mixing.

MOD- it was what everyone knew what my reaction of anger and resentment and even sadness. Mention Of Father. I didn't like to hear about him, good or bad. Period.

When the day was over, Tori was waiting for me out of my last class and she wrapped her arms around me and we headed to the Great Hall. Koatha was already there, bouncing with excitement, waiting at the entrance for us. "You can never guess who my Defense teacher is?!" She screamed, flashing her white teeth at Tori and I.

"Weasley," I said.

Tori looked at me, confused. "What?" she asked, thinking I was talking about her.

"No. To Koatha's question. _Weasley_."

Koatha pouted. "Oh right, I forgot you had him first period."

"What? Is my Dad here for a speech again?" She groaned, looking around frantically, thinking about hiding.

"No you idiot," I groaned, watching Koatha still bounce with happiness. "Why do you think she's jumping around like that?"

Comprehension dawned on Tori's face. "You mean Uncle Fred is here?" In her case, Fred was actually her real uncle.

"Teaching," I replied, itching to get to my table to get some food in me.

"You joking right?" Tori asked, laughing lightly. "Like he could ever teach."

"Thanks for your support. I'm glad my niece thinks that way about me." Fred Weasley appeared in the doorway, throwing his arm around Tori.

She gasped and Koatha was beaming from ear to ear as she looked up at the muscled red head teacher. "Try not and be so obvious," I whispered in her ear, rolling my eyes. "Now if you excuse me," I said in a louder voice. "I'm gonna get me some dinner."

I went to sit down- I took a seat by Penny, a girl who was very gifted in the looks department, but very brain dead at the same time. She smiled at me, and started to tell me about the latest gossip.

"Like did you see that, like, new boy? He's like, really… umm, what's that word? Really. Hot. Yeah, very very hot. He is totally the best looking boy here. Well, besides Malfoy," she said, sputtering out words as she sipped on a glass of water.

"Rumor has it, he's an exchange from, like, Durmstrang. People are saying he got totally kicked out for killing a teacher." I laughed because of course the rumors would be horribly stupid, but I did see why people were saying these things and believed it- in Penny's case at least.

Penny waved goodbye when she was tired of waiting for me to finish my large salad, and another person took over her seat. I didn't even glance up; I knew it would be Mike. But to my surprise, a quiet, smooth voice whispered in my ear.

"Why hello," James said as he watched me choke on my salad.

"Umm… hi," came my witty reply, as I swallowed a large tomato.

"Your face is horribly red," he told me, his lips in a small smile.

I blushed, deeper and covered my face with my hands. "Oh great," I said through my fingers. "That's what every girl wants to hear."

"You look nice," his voice soothed, pulling my hands off my face. I starred at his fingernails- they were perfectly shaped- cut short and smooth. He seemed like the type of person to have long, unkempt nails.

"You don't need to stare at my fingers." He took his hands from mine and placed them both, each on his knees.

"How was your first day?" I suggested, trying to make conversation.

"A bore," he sighed and picked up a piece of bread and buttered it lightly. "And you?" he asked, obviously trying to be polite, but not really caring.

"Fine. Nothing special."

"I see," he said while tearing an edge off the slice of bread and popping it in his mouth. I watched as he chewed it softly and swallowed it.

"Please stop," he requested, not even looking at my face.

"Stop what?"

"Staring at me."

I could feel my face turning red again, I didn't mean to stare. I glanced to my right to shield my face, when I noticed many girls also starring at the beautiful boy chew his food. It made me even more embarrassed to be acting like every other girl who couldn't control her hormones.

"I'm sorry," I whispered, turning back in his direction, but not meeting his eyes. He lifted one finger to my chin and forced my eyes to him.

"No problem… Potter." And with that, he stood up from the table and walked away, many girl's heads turning to stare at him as he went.

I could feel my heart beat faster. Potter. He had found out my last name.


	5. A Shame

**Chapter 4: **

**A Shame**

The next day was Saturday and I was glad that the school week had started on a Thursday. I was captain of my Quidditich team again, and to get ahead of the other teams, I had booked a slot for the pitch that morning and afternoon. It was a practice try out for people could test out their moves before the game.

Ryan Flint- son of Marcus Flint- who was the Slytherin seeker, laughed as him and I stood at the sidelines, watching people zoom along on their brooms. "This is so stupid, why are you even holding auditions for all the positions? All we need is a new keeper."

I glared at him and shushed him angrily. "We have to hold try outs for all positions says the headmistress. And who knows, someone could be taking your place." I gave him a smirk before jumping on my broom and flying into the sky. Of course, I knew he was right. I looked at all the students trying to score a place on the team. They were nothing compared to the members that were already on the team. I focused on trying to find a keeper, but as I starred at the quaffle fly into the hoops, again and again, I lost hope all together.

I was studying Bessy Bulstrode- who was as round as a pumpkin, but strangely able to block at least three quarters of the quaffles sent flying at her head- when a loud screech of laugher painfully penetrated the sky. Mike Parkinson's twin; Michelle Parkinson, was yelling on the bleachers, desperately snuggling closer to Marcus Malfoy as she threw her head back and laughed.

I flew closer, glaring at the too skinny girl with black hair that was falling down her sides, braided in some places and knotted in others. "Look at her! How can that broom hold her weight?" she screamed with absolute laugher. I glanced to where she was looking, Bessy had her head down, but trying to ignore the insults that roared through the pitch.

I zoomed to the bleachers, whipped out my wand as I went. "Miche," I heard Marcus say. "Keep your voice down."

"Or how about you just keep your comments to yourself?" I hissed, pointing my wand at the girl, hovering about a few feet away still on my broom.

"How about you get less fat players?" Michelle cackled, taking out her own wand and aiming it at me as well.

"I dare you too try," I said through clenched teeth. By now many people were surrounding the scene, watching our wands drawn.

"Come on girls," Marcus groaned with some amusement. "Little first years are around, let's not give them a show alright?"

"Stay out of this Malfoy!" I yelled, not taking my eyes off of Michelle.

"Don't tell him what to do!" Parkinson screamed in her annoying voice, not letting anyone insult the boy she loved only because of his good looks.

"Incarcerous!" I shouted, watching the spell shoot out of my wand and wrap ropes around the girl. Timothy Nott- Slytherin Beater- who was watching from the sky, merely just rolled his eyes. Mike Parkinson flew down from the sky and landed on the bleachers, looking at his twin sister squirm around uselessly. "Aw man, what did you do now?"

"Got in my way," I said, anger in my voice, but with a hint of pride. I turned to Michelle. "Don't! Don't you ever insult anyone in my house."

Marcus Malfoy walked to the end of the bleachers past Michelle and gazed up at me. The crowd had thinned when they realized the fight was over, and it was just him, the twins, and I near the bleachers.

"I thought I told you to be nice," he scolded with a smile.

I zoomed down so that I was sitting right in front of him, eye level on my broom. "It doesn't count unless the other team plays fair as well."

"It was very nice for you to stick up for that Bulstrode girl," Malfoy said, leaning in closer to my face so that his nose was an inch away. "I'd say that was being nice."

"I wouldn't have been nice if you hadn't brought Parkinson here to insult my future players," I hissed angrily, but not as mean because it was hard to be mad looking at a face of an angel.

He sighed, his blue eyes sparkling. "Can you blame a guy for wanting to see you?" Malfoy smiled a little, barely showing his white teeth. He moved closer to my mouth, his head bobbing slightly as he tilted his head to the side.

"No," I said in defeat, opening my mouth to breathe a soft warmth on his pale skin. "But I can for you interrupting and ruining my try-out." So I turned my face away, and flew off over the pitch to the ground. I turned back just briefly to wave good-bye. He was still standing, hunched over to press his lips to mine, a frustrated look on his face.

I smiled, I called the shots now. I was winning. But I laughed with sorrow; it was a shame he was a Malfoy. I threw my broom over my shoulder, ready to walk back into the castle when Bessy came running out of the changing room.

"Stephanie!" she shouted, jogging to come walk beside me, huffing as she did so. "I just… I wanted to say thank you. For standing up for me to… to that- that horrible girl."

I placed my hand on her shoulder- she was about a head shorter- and gave her a light pat. "No problem, if we're a team, we play as a team."

Bessy looked up at me, confused. "You're on the team," I explained, watching as her whole round face grinned with happiness.

"Oh wow! Thank you!"

I smiled back as we entered the Great Hall. "Practice on Wednesday, don't be late." We parted as I saw Tori beckoning me to go see her.

"What is it that I hear about you cursing Michelle Parkinson at the tryouts?"

I shrugged my shoulders. "News travels fast."

Tori launched into a lecture about the use of a wand and right and wrong and something about abusing the privilege. She acted like she had come up with it, but I knew her mother had given her the same speech before she started Hogwarts. I pretend to listen, looking around the great hall.

Jameson was leaning against the entrance doorway of the room. His lips were smiled up at the sides as he stared at me with piercing dark eyes. He didn't move an inch, but I knew he was beckoning me to him. I started to walk to him when I heard Tori yell at me to come back and listen to her.

Walking over to James, I tapped Eddie Longbottom on the shoulder and whispered to him to go distract Tori. He seemed excited to have an excuse to talk to my best friend as he ran to go sit beside her at the Hufflepuff table. I hadn't taken my eyes off of Jameson Liddre as I bent down to talk to Eddie at the Gryffindor table.

When I finally approached him, he was still in that exact spot. He bent his head lower, still keeping our eyes connected as I stopped right in front of his chest.

"Having trouble getting away from your friends?" he asked with no emotion. He was stiff with his back straight even though he was leaning against the wall. I broke our connected gaze to glance around the room. Even though Tori was distracted with Eddie, Koatha and many other students were watching the two of us. Marcus, who I hadn't seen come in, was also watching James and I as we stood in front of each other- we were the only ones standing up.

"You're boyfriend is watching us," James stated, watching the Ravenclaw table. I starred at where his eyes were, on a small thirteen year old.

"Euw! He's so young. I don't think so," I said, shuddered and turned back to the beautiful dark eyes that were so unreadable.

"No, I'm talking about the blond kid." He nodded his head to the side- though he wasn't looking there- where Marcus was, giving James an angry look.

"He's not my boyfriend," I growled defensively. "And what do you mean kid? He's the same year as I am!"

"Young." James said evenly, his tone unreadable.

"Hey, you wanna take a walk?" I asked with a big grin.

A small smirk hit his red lips. "Okay," he whispered, low. To my great surprise- and delight- he took my hand in his and pulled me gently out of the great hall and into the cold night. His long fingers that were wrapped my palm, felt very warm and it tingled somewhat from his strong grip.

We walked in silence for a while, but I didn't care. His hand felt so wonderful in mine that I did not want him to pull away. He leaned against a large bolder and pulled our connected hands so that I would walk closer to sit on the rock with him. "I heard you roped a girl today," he said finally stopping our walk for he could stare into my eyes.

I blushed slightly, never ashamed of my temper until now. He saw the small redness invade my cheeks. "It was impressive."

I looked up at him, shocked as my cheeks filled faster with blood. "Really?" I gasped, astonished but absolutely giddy from his compliment.

"Powerful bit of magic actually," he said with a small smile. "Very good." His beautiful black eyes starred at me with a tiny amount of admiration. I couldn't help but grin happily. "Thank you," I whispered, disconnecting our eyes. I didn't dare move my hand that was still in his.

"Tell me about your family," his voice hot by my ear. His fingers now burned like fire and I pulled my hand off his roughly. His eyes turned to stone, but softened as I showed him my hurt eyes.

I wanted to cry- _he wanted to know about my family_. Everyone always wanted to know. "My father's dead!" I barked with anger, turning away from him. "Is that what you want to know? You want to know how amazing he was? How absolutely perfect he was! My memories of him… well pick up a book. He was long dead before I was even born."

James took my wrists in his and pulled me closer so that my body was pressed up against his strong chest. "Let me go!" I yelled, tears almost erupting from my eyes. _I had liked him; I had liked him so much. _

"My father's dead too!" James cried out into the cold night. "Dead and gone- just like yours. And from what I've heard, he wasn't even good. He was a bad person."

Oh… I looked up into his hard eyes that were even darker black then before. He was just like me. I tried to wrap my arms around him, but he still had my wrists pinned to his chest.

I leaned up to kiss his lips, my face nearing closer to his. He was so tall that I stood on the tip of my toes to reach his ruby head mouth. James slowly moved his head closer as well, but then froze when he realized how close we were.

Immediately he dropped his hands from my wrists and backed away. "It is wrong," he whispered quietly. "It is better if we don't." And he turned away and walked to the lake, allowing me free access to the school.

I looked at his hunched back as he bent down to sit on the grass. I starred at him for one last glanced, but walked back into Hogwarts- rejected and feeling foolish.


	6. Everything I Ever Wanted

**The Destiny of Youth**

**Chapter 5:**

**Everything I Ever Wanted**

For the next few weeks, James did not talk to me, glance my way or even show any sign of actually knowing me. I followed his suit- I didn't need to beg for love and attention. As we didn't have any classes together (him in seventh year) I barely even saw him except at meal times or briefly in the common room where he would sit and read, then stroll up to his dorm room. To my surprise, I missed him- thought about him all the time. I would have thought that because my whole life I hadn't had him near that it wouldn't be hard, but my mind always danced around his face when I was bored in history of magic, or when I saw him sit down across the table at the other end from me, my heart beat just a little faster. I desperately wanted to go up to his bed one night to talk it out. He couldn't yell at me to get out without waking up his fellow Slytherins nor could he run away- there was only one exit. And strangely, I did just that.

I was sitting by his shoulder as he slept silently with his strong arms loosely by his sides, his feet angled perfectly in a straight line with a thin blanket around his waist almost covering his toes. I smiled; it would be a shame to wake him. His hair was gently tousled over his eyes, tickling his nose with the black softness. I longed to reach out and smooth it back, but I restrained- that was a little to stalkery even for me. Instead I reached out and wrapped my fingers over the palm of his hand, warming his chilled one. I leaned over and softly whispered his name. He began to stir.

"James… James…?" He opened his dark eyes and stared at me for a split second, his lips slightly curled.

"Morning," I whispered and leaned down to kiss his lips. James seemed to fully wake up as he grabbed my face with his two large pale hands.

"I don't think so Stephanie Potter."

I grinned, "You don't think this is a dream?"

He chucked lightly, but stopped himself- remembering that he was supposed to be ignoring the fact that I was alive. "You are very conceded if you think that you would ever invade my sleep."

I pulled away; I hadn't known he'd be so mean.

"What are you doing out of your dorm?" he asked, in a very prefect voice.

I turned around the room looking at all the sleeping males, then turned back to look at him, then down at myself. I held up my hands, palms up. "What do you think?"

He sighed, pushed himself up so he was upright in his bed. "I think you should get to bed."

I sighed just like he had. "And what fun would that be?"

He didn't answer, I decided to answer for him. Pouting my lips, I gave him the puppy dog eyes. "No fun at all?" It was more a question than a statement.

James regarded my wide eyes for a second, flickering down to see my plumped lip, but he turned away quickly. "Exactly, so you should go get some sleep before you have class tomorrow."

"It's a weekend," I pointed out. I gently- but casually- fell down on my back and onto his pillow, snuggling against his side. "But you're right, I am tired." I closed my eyes and pulled the blanket- that he was under- around my body.

Jameson grumbled something, but I didn't hear him. When I opened my eyes, he was on the ground, with another pillow and a spare blanket around himself. I looked at him hurt from his bed.

"You're lucky that I'm even allowing you to stay here."

I smiled and went to his curtain, pulling it closed around James on the ground and the bed. He looked at me, puzzled.

"We can just pretend," I whispered, and fell to sleep.

When I awoke, James was still on the ground- he looked like he had tossed and turned all night, under his eyes were a small tinge of purple.

"Wingardium Leviosa!" I whispered quietly and placed him on the bed as softly as I could. Unfortunately I slipped on the edge of the bed and toppled through the curtain, James landing loudly and roughly on the bed.

"Stephanie!" I heard James bellow through the curtain. Many curious faces were turned to me, only in my nightgown in James' bed- I had to admit, it did look bad. Ryan Flint who was hunched only in his- sadly to say- tighty whiteys, rummaging in his truck for something, stood up abruptly as he caught a glance at me in the corner of his eye. He quickly covered himself with his hands- it didn't do much. Timothy Nott stuck his head out from his curtain and grinned at me, as he lay on his stomach. "Heya captain," he greeted, enjoying the scene. Simon Finnigan was laughing from his bed as he called, "Looks like old James had a good night!"

James emerged from his bed- fully clothed to my disappointment- and to my surprise he actually was blushing. It wasn't like him to be so human to be embarrassed. I picked myself up and smiled sheepishly at James before turning to give Timothy a wink and heading out the boy's dorm.

I heard whistles and woots from the other boys when I hit the stairs, walking back to my dorm to change. When I got to the great hall, a few eyes lingered on me as I walked to the Ravenclaw table to chat with Koatha. She was there, talking to Scott Corner (Michael Corner's son) who had dark hair and was very clever and a true gentleman.

"Guess who stayed in Jameson M. Liddre's room last night?" I whispered in her ear as I sat casually on the bench beside her. Scott smiled politely at me and offered a bread stick from a small basket. I took one, thanking him. He took one and gave it to Koatha who didn't seem to notice that he was desperately craving her attention. But as she turned back to me, he didn't complain.

"That answer better not be you!" she cried shocked, as I grabbed a glass from in front of my plate, filling it with orange juice. Some of the other ravenclaws greeted with a hello as it wasn't new that I was eating at their table. Dorothy Weasley gave me a big smile from her end of the ravenclaw table- she was the only one surprised that I was at a different table than my own.

"Shh Koko," I hushed her, cutting a peach into little pieces. "You don't want the whole school to know do you?"

She gawked at me, and I saw Scott looking at me curiously from the other side of Koatha. He tried to show he wasn't listening.

"I think you just told the whole Ravenclaw table this very private information!" she hissed, bustling to grab some food so she looked normal as she whispered, "You could have waited to tell me later."

I laughed at her actions and put my hand over her frantically moving fingers and leaned over to Scott. "You won't tell anyone now would you Scotty?"

He shook his head quickly. "Of course not, you're secret is safe with me!"

I grinned at him and Koatha as I got up from the table- James was entering the great hall. I went to sit beside him, taking my glass of orange juice with me.

"Don't sit here!" he growled softly under his breath. It sounded magical even when he was angry. I sat down anyways, ignoring the whispering that surrounded us.

"Ashamed of me are you James?" I asked. "That makes me feel unloved." He obviously didn't like my attempt at flirting as I batted my eyelashes.

"Oh, give it a rest," he sighed as he tried to ignore me, reaching for a bowl of cereal.

"Not until I get what I want," I whispered in his ear, quite annoyed by his behavior. I didn't want to look like I was falling all over myself for him to love me- but infact, I was. "I always do."

"Did you hear there is a dance coming up?" Tori asked as we lied in the grass like always, books and brooms and quills scattered around us. The sun was out and we were soaking up the rays of sun before the fall would come.

"For what?" I asked, as I reached to steal the cloth Koatha was using to clean her broom. She managed to grab onto it, but only barely. "You are not a seeker Stephanie, you don't have very fast reflexes. And it's a dance to celebrate the Defeat of the Dark Arts."

I looked at her, confused. The official day of the Defeat of the Dark Arts was on my birthday- July 31, the same birthday as my father's and the same day that he died. I hated that day, many people always offered their condolences even though my father was dead for fifth-teen years and I had never met him.

Koatha continued. "But since Double D and A is in July, the school year doesn't run along that day. The war didn't end until the end of September though because the Death Eaters were still around. The whole world didn't learn about Voldemort's death until at least the middle of August." Of course, I already knew this. Students were forced to listen to the events of the war all day on the International Defeat of the Dark Arts. It was referred to as the 'I Double D and A'.

"Why would we have a dance?"

"Stephanie, it has been 15 years!" Koatha cried, throwing up her arms. "People are surprised that there hasn't been anyone to take over as the leader of the Dark Arts. They want to celebrate- so let them celebrate."

"Count me out," I said immediately. I didn't want to have another day of people expecting me to mourn my father.

"Oh no, no missy. You are going," Tori interrupted. "Since I am a prefect, I have spent plenty of long hours on this dance! You will be there to celebrate my hard work!"

I turned to her, looking her straight in the eye. "You want me to ask someone for you don't you?"

Her cheeks filled with a bright red. "Maybe."

I winked at her. "Gottcha." We went back to our own activities, I sketched the whomping willow from a distance, Tori was reading about werewolves and Koatha was still shining her broom. We didn't notice when Marcus walked behind me until a dark shadow cast over my drawing.

"Beautiful," he whispered in a sweet husky voice. I looked up at him briefly- his hair was scattered over his eyes in a perfectly placed way. The bright blond was more taken over by the rich brown that day- the sun was slowly fading from his beautiful hair.

I glanced down at my picture and smiled lightly. "Thank you Malfoy."

Marcus only smiled and sat down beside me, scrunched between Koatha and I. "I wasn't talking about the drawing." He starred pointedly at my face. I just smirked back at him and turned back to working on my drawing.

"What do you want?" I asked, sketching in some leaves.

Marcus ignored me and looked at Koatha's new broom. "Very nice," he commented and gave my best friend his trademark flash of white teeth. Koatha just raised her eyebrow at him and said with pride, "I know it is."

He laughed- a throaty laugh that made his whole body shake. It was sadly to say, very appealing. I side glanced at him, sneaky so he wouldn't notice.

"Dad said the IceBolt03 was good- but not as good."

"As good as what?" Koatha looked up at him with narrowed eyes. "It is the best on the market!"

Malfoy smirked at him- he looked a lot like his father as he did so. "Yes, on-the-market."

Koatha gasped and pulled out witch weekly, her favorite magazine. She flicked to the main article and held up it so I could see the picture. There was a broom of startling silver and black, twisting up the long wood stick. The bristles were gold and sparkled in the sun- a diamond shape.

"Every bristle is perfectly angled and cut to the millimeter to have a take off flight of 0.36 seconds!" Koatha explained, having the article memorized by heart. Malfoy nodded, smiling more. "No!" she cried. "No no no! You do NOT have that broom!"

"Oh, of course not Coke," he lied, but his smile betrayed him. Koatha stormed off with her broom in her hand. She ran across the grass and hopped on her broom, flying to the owlery where her owl always slept. I sighed, I felt bad for Apollo- it would have a long angry letter to deliver to the Minister of Magic.

Marcus turned to me when he heard me exhale loudly. His bright blue eyes almost blinded me. "Are you dating that Liddre guy?" He said it with a hard face.

Tori's eyes opened wide and she hurriedly picked up her books and excused herself to go. I looked at her the whole time as she nibbled on her bottom lip and raised her eyebrows at me. When she was gone, I was forced to look at Marcus' eyes, which he hadn't taken off of my face.

"Umm… no?" I replied, picking my stuff up to leave as well.

"That doesn't sound very convincing."

I looked down at him; he was just sitting there watching me collect my things. "Marcus, I really don't think it is any of your business," I growled bitterly. I knew that if I got mad, people would back off. It was my trick that I used when anyone wanted to talk about my father.

Marcus just shook his head sadly at me. "You don't think that the spoiled misunderstood child thing works on me do you?"

I stood frozen, my brown eyes on his blue ones. Even if he was stuck up, we both shared a lot in common. I didn't care that my Mom didn't like the Malfoy's. Marcus was sweet and friendly- most of the time- and a fun guy to be around. And with the added bonus of being totally gorgeous.

"No, Marcus. I am not dating James." Sadly.

Marcus' face broke into a grin. "Good, because I'd like to escort you to the dance." And he stood up and wrapped his arm like a true gentleman around my elbow. Except that it was his opposite arm than what it was supposed to, with the correct arm being wrapped around my waist so that he was behind me, wrapped around my back.

"Oh!" I felt my Slytherin instincts rise- but more than that, I felt my love for my father creep into my skin and it burned as I realized that the one wish I could give him was to honour my mother. Even if he did leave her pregnant. I pulled his arms off my waist and turned to face him, pressing my head to his shoulder. He thought that this was my way of excepting as I pulled his head closer to my lips. But as his own pink lips nearly collided with mine, I turned his head sharply to the side and whispered, "My Daddy says I'm not allowed to date."


	7. Moving On

**The Destiny of Youth**

**Chapter 6:**

**Moving On**

"Stephanie, why are you here?" It was three o'clock in the morning. I had walked down the stairs in my fleece robe, hopeful to find a certain seventh year out of bed. I was in luck, James was sitting on his armchair, a book on his knees, his legs swung over the armrest. When he heard my light footsteps on the stairs, he turned up to see me- a frustrated look on his face.

"I never do the chasing," I stated out of the blue, sitting on the edge of the small table that sat a foot away from the armchair.

"I beg to differ," he interrupted. "Until now," I finished looking at his dark eyes. There was no brown as much as I looked- only pure darkness.

"You shouldn't chase after me," James said. His eyes remained flat black.

"Everyone already thinks we're dating," I pointed out. I held up the school newspaper Hogwarts Howls' (a new thing at the school created by Richard Skeeters) gossip section. In big bold moving letters 'Potter Scores New Sexy Exchange Student Jameson Liddre'. James glanced at the article for a second, but turned away disgusted. "It's pretty sad that the news can't find anything more exciting."

"I think I'm exciting," I rebuttled.

"The news their reporting about you isn't even true." James yawned and glanced at the stairs to his dorm. He stood up, I quickly followed suit, but blocked his way with my body.

"It could be true," I breathed, hot air on his chin as I stared up at him. James regarded me slowly, his eyes moving across my face. But then he suddenly turned and walked up the stairs. He didn't have to say his answer, his kiss-off had said enough.

Stephanie Lily Potter could take a hint.

I slid into my seat next to Marcus Malfoy in Defense Against the Dark Arts and smiled at him broadly. He starred at me, confused as I pulled the front of his shirt closer to me. His face inched closer as his back arched.

"Stephanie, are you going to hurt me?" he asked with sarcasm dripping from his voice.

I merely laughed with a sharp chuckle and ran my hand down his smooth white neck that had a slight tan from the sunny weather. "Is that offer still available?"

"Pardon?" he questioned, his manners impeccable. "What are you talking about Potter?" His eyes craned to watch my fingers trace small circles down his neck.

"The dance Malfoy," I said, my voice low and raspy. My head bent down and I felt his body freeze in shock as I gently pressed my lips to his hard collarbone.

"What are you doing?" Marcus didn't dare move his hands or body- he knew that with one move I would go back to hating him. I could feel his arms itching to wrap around my waist. My lips dragged slowly up his neck, kissing his throbbing pulse vein softly. "So, the dance?"

Malfoy mumbled something that I didn't quite understand. Something along the lines of 'whyaeva yu wunna'. I giggled, my lips vibrating onto his body. I inhaled a deep breath, scared of what I was going to do. My father wouldn't be proud. Except that I didn't know even if my father would be proud of who I was now anyways. Roughly, I pressed my lips to Marcus Malfoy's plump pink ones, feeling my skin warm from his touch. The heat spread through my body, a tingle working through my spine as his hands wrapped around my waist to rub the small of my back.

"Sorry to interrupt the love fest Miss Potter and Mr. Malfoy, but I have a class to teach." My eyes opened immediately. Fred Weasley stood at the head of the class, sitting on his desk, one of his hands leaning casually to hold up his body, starring pointedly at the two of us. I quickly pulled away as I realized the whole class was settled waiting for the lesson to begin. Marcus reluctantly took his lips off of mine and turned to stare expressionless at Fred.

I blushed as Fred gave me a sharp look that said 'do-you-know-who-you-are-snogging-dearest???' I put my head down and pulled my chair closer so that I could conceal my face as my hair fell in front of my eyes.

I didn't say a word all class as Fred explained the way to fully be able to produce a patronus charm. When the hour was finally over, I stood up quickly to leave, but Fred called me over to his desk. He didn't speak until everyone had shuffled out.

"Steph…" he started, folding his hands into a ball.

I cut him off. "Fred, I'm a big girl."

He sighed and clenched his hands tighter together. "I know you don't understand the things your father felt, as you never did meet him-"

"Uncle Fred!" I said louder than I should have, holding up my hand. I took a deep breath, lowing my voice in an attempt to seem calm. "I respect your decision, but honestly do you think that I haven't thought about it? From everything I had learned about my father, I believe that Harry James Potter would want his daughter to be happy. Don't you agree?"

"Yes," Fred replied warily. "But I don't feel this is the right boy for you. Didn't the newspaper say you were dating the nice new exchange boy? He's a bit old for you, but he has the best grades in the school. A pure genius that one." My heart turned. I should have known Jameson would be top at everything.

"It's dinner time now Professor," I stated and turned away out of the classroom. As I walked out of the class at more of a quicker pace than a walk, I ran into a figure who was lazily leaning up against the wall a few paces from the door.

"Marcus!" I cried, as I dropped my books and bent my knees to pick them up. He bent down on his knees and handed me my potions textbook. "I was waiting for you," Marcus explained, as we will still both crunched on the floor.

"That was not necessary," I murmured into my textbook as I held it to my chest. His crystal blue eyes looked hazed and confused and I realized that it wasn't his fault that his last named was Malfoy as much as mine was Potter. "But it was very nice of you," I added, standing up and brushing dust off my skirt in a habit more than to clean it.

"I was hoping to do this," Marcus said as he took the textbook from my hand and dropped it back on the floor with a loud crash. As my mouth dropped at his assult on my book, his hands were around my hips and he had pressed me against the wall- his tongue massaging my top and bottom lip which were slightly opened. His tongue dipped into my mouth and as he did so, I felt my body respond to his touch. I pressed closer to his chest, my hands drapped around his strong shoulders. My own tongue twirled around his as Marcus' fingernails dug into my hips through the fabic of my robes.

When we both broke apart for a breath, he smiled at me like a young boy who had been caught stealing a cookie. "You don't know how long I've been waiting to do that."

I smirked and took his hand in mine, guiding us down the corridors to the Great Hall. "I'm sure all of Defence class."

"If not longer," he teased, leaning closer as we entered the large room where everyone was already dining. As we were the very last, a few heads turned as we entered laughing with the sides of our bodies touching. I saw Koatha's eyes find mine, they were deep brown and worried. But they sparkiled from beneath her black framed glasses as she smiled- teeth and all. I winked at her as Marcus and I began to part ways. But as I headed to the Slytherin table, he ran back and took my hand, palm down and kissed it softly. I smirked and rolled my eyes at him.

Finally when I was able to sit down, Penny and her group of skanks swormed around me and started in on every question possible all about the very famous, and very beautiful Marcus Malfoy.

From across the table, a face starred at me with blank eyes. I looked up after blushing from a horribly rude question and caught his eyes with mine. Starring at the pools of black liquid, I couldn't turn away. His ruby red lips looked thinner than normal and his eyes were hard and cold.

Penny grabbed my arm roughly so I was facing her and hissed excitedly as she asked if Marcus and I had 'done the dirty deed yet' and if so for how long. Her face was pouted in a frown as I laughed so hard that my pumpkin juice almost came out my nose.

When I had finally managed to get away from their curious questions, Tori and Koatha were waiting by the door to ambush me. "Let's just say- we will all have a good time at the dance," I explained, and they both smiled happily content.

Koatha suddenly frowned then and whined, "But I don't have a date yet!" Tori's head snapped to mine and she looked at me with wide eyes.

"Opps," I said, biting my lip. "Sorry, I forgot to ask him."

"Ask who?" Koatha questioned, forgetting about her own problem and focusing on Tori. "Who do you want to ask?"

Eddie Longbottom came through the great hall with his friends Parvati Patil's son Marty and Jermey Wood. "Oi, Longbottom!" I shouted from across the doorway where the three of us were leaning around the doorframe. Tori turned bright red and Koatha's eyes bogled. "No!" she hissed suddenly. "A Weasley does NOT like a Longbottom!"

I ignored her as I continued to yell. "How about you shine your father's dancing shoes and take dear old Victoria Weasley to the dance?" Tori had hid behind Koatha, which was a very sad attempt as Koatha was barely five feet and she had her father Ron's height.

Marty started to bark with laugher at Eddie's wide smile and rosy red cheeks. "I think that is a yes," Jeremy called back as he roughly patted his friend's back. Eddie's chest was swelled and he wasn't breathing.

Tori pulled his head around from Koatha's back and glanced at Eddie through her bushy red hair. Eddie just nodded his head once with his smile still plastered to his face. I turned to face Tori who was smiling back, her hands cupped together infront of her, like a good student. "Ugh, let's go," I groaned, as Tori began to curl her already twisted hair around her index finger.

Koatha and I managed to pull her away out the castles to our favorite spot by the lake. Apollo- Koatha's owl- came flying from the sky with a large brown envelope attached to both the owl's strong legs. It hooted happily as it hovered above Koatha's face. Koatha untied the little strings and the envelope was addressed to me. I groaned, my mother always sent letters via Koatha's owl as I refused to get an owl as many people sent letters to me, asking about my father or even to ask to be my friend. Most of it was just fan letters about the famous Harry Potter.

My own cat -who I had found on a lonely muggle street when I was five and had begged my mom to keep- was a fat orange tabby named Elixira (as he was my ray of happy sunshine in my lonely childhood life). He came running quickly from the forbidden forest where he loved to chase nifflers that had exscaped from Hagrid's hut. Elixira hissed angrily at Apollo, but pounced playfully at the owl's flapping wings. Of course, he didn't reach and continued to swat the owl with his sharp claws.

I took the envelope from Koatha and ripped it open, not caring to rip the package. Inside the envelope were many catalogs filled with dresses of every shape and colour. It figured she would do this as soon as she heard about the dance. I was going to throw them in the lake, but Koatha stopped me as she accioed them from my hand and brought them down infront of her on the grass.

We spent the whole night flipping through the magazines, looking over the catalogs from all the witch robe shops. I actually enjoyed myself as I began searching to find a perfect dress that would make Marcus' eyes pop… but I couldn't help thinking that a part of me wanted a certain someone else to look at me with new eyes. Beautiful black eyes.

At the bottom of one page my mother's fancy scroll was crammed beside a photo of a dress. It said, "Wear this and you'll get him." I wondered if somehow, she knew.


	8. Don’t Deny It

**Chapter 7: **

**Don't Deny It **

"Wow." Marcus' jaw slightly dropped as he saw me walking down the stairs. We had met up in the main hall before heading to the dance, since we were both in different houses.

I smirked at his parted lips, for that night I felt beautiful. Truly beautiful, as beautiful as my own mother Cho Chang.

"No insults?" I asked, pretending to be surprised. I twirled around in a circle, laughing as he just stared, mostly at the long slit that broke the long flowing silver fabric that spilled onto the floor. The slit ran from the ground, all the way up to mid-thigh. With my tall high heels- so I'd be much closer to Marcus' height- my legs stretched longer than usual.

"Let me get back to you," he mumbled, reaching out for me and pulling me closer into his black dress robes. Around his neck was a loose tie, in black and silver.

I grinned at his tie. "You accessorized with me," I accused him.

Marcus flashed me an impish smile. "I asked one of the younger slytherins to find out what you were wearing."

I raised my eyebrow. Since when would a slytherin help a gryffindor?

"I paid her 10 galleons."

I smiled, letting his eyes roam over my dress once more. I noticed his eyes linger on my chest, where the bandeau front pushed up in just the right places.

We had already begun walking to the great hall, his hand in mind- did I actually feel comfortable? Well, Harry Potter would not be happy about this. No, not at all. It made me grin.

Marcus watched my smile, smiling himself. He reached out, wrapping his finger around the small curl that had come loose from the chignon I had pinned my hair into. By now, we had reached the Hall, and I couldn't help noticing that the eyes of students glanced over at our entrance.

"A Malfoy with a Potter?" Richard Skeeters gasped.

"Are they _dating_?" Kabbyo Zabini whispered back.

Calvin Creevy shook his head. "I thought she was dating that James in seventh year?!"

"I believe my handsomely good looks are getting us attention," Marcus whispered in my ear. I laughed, pulling his hand to a table where Koatha was sitting with her date, Jeremy Wood. I glanced around the table, Scott Corner was looking sulkily over at Koatha and her date. I couldn't blame him for being jealous, Koatha's petite frame looked gorgeous in a tight fitting dark blue halter dress.

The conversation surrounded me, everyone laughing while they munched on food and blushed when complimented on their outfits. I drifted away, not really listening, much to focused on finding one person. One person in particular.

I found him, leaning bored against a wall. Jameson Liddre looked more beautiful that words, his hair slicked back like always, his square jaw pointed out as if he were better than everyone else. And maybe he really was.

He was dressed in a simple robe, nothing fancy. Certainly not a dress robe, but it clung to his body and hung off him to define the muscles in his arms. My stomach twisted in delight. I melted just looking at him.

"Stephanie?" Marcus called, seeming as if he was a distance away. "Stephanie? Are you with us?" His hand shoot across my vision, waving in front of my eyes.

"Oh," I turned back to Marcus- was it just me or did his eyes glance sharply over at James? "Sorry, can you repeat that?"

He glared at me with his sparkling blue eyes. "Do you want to dance?"

I smiled at him. "Of course."

Marcus gave me a hard look again, confused by my polite manner before his hand reached out for mine and he dragged me out to the dance floor.

There were only a few couples out dancing, so many students glanced up at the first brave people besides the heads to step out on the dance floor. My eyes drifted to James without my consent. He was looking at Malfoy and I, his eyes small slits.

This time, Marcus decided to comment. "Are you looking at Liddre?"

"Why would I do that?" I snapped, swaying gently to the music, my hand wrapped lightly around his neck.

He ignored me. "Hmm I didn't know Penny was his type."

I flinched, glancing back at James quickly. I was too distracted by James to notice the Slytherin Skank pressed up against his hip. He looked down when he noticed both Marcus and I looking directly at him. My hand tightened angrily around Malfoy's neck.

"Ow," he complained. "Can you keep your nails out of my back until later tonight?"

The young couple dancing beside us, looked up at us with shock. I grimaced, swaying our bodies away from the students. "Would you shut up? Not all people know of your charming wit."

"You think I'm charming?" He grinned.

I looked back at him, not amused. "No."

"I could certain change that…" he whispered against my ear, sending a shiver down my back. His lips pressed gently against my bare shoulder. He moved his lips against my skin, making his way to my neck with little pecks. My body was starting to react from the touch.

"Stop! Stop!" I hissed, when I saw Malfoy's eyes flick over to James, whose eyes were back on us.

"Why?" he grumbled, mumbling something under his breath. I couldn't help but hear the name 'Liddre'.

I kissed Marcus cheek, disconnecting our bodies. "I'm thirsty," I said, looking pointedly at him.

"You're lucky your beautiful."

Marcus had left me at the round table so he could get us some drinks. I saw Tori dancing with Eddie Longbottom, she was a few inches taller so it looked strange as Eddie was twirling her around the dance floor in an old fashioned style.

_Who'd'ya think you're kiddin'  
He's the Earth and heaven to you  
Try to keep it hidden  
Honey, we can see right through you  
Girl, ya can't conceal it  
We know how ya feel and  
Who you're thinking of_

The music played, an old muggle song beat loud over the stereo. I barely listened to the beat, but the lyrics flowed through my body and my thoughts drifted to a beautiful boy who was not at the dance with me, but with a skank instead.

_No chance, no way  
I won't say it, no, no  
Give up, give in  
Check the grin you're in love  
This scene won't play,  
I won't say I'm in love _

Jameson was walking out of the ball room, out into the cold, dark night. I couldn't stop my feet moving as I went out and followed him, creeping a few feet away out of his view. He stopped in front of a tall stone waterfall of a fairy and lion. The water was the only sound that was heard, a tingling of magic as it splayed down into the bottom of the stone bowl.

_Girl, don't be proud  
It's O.K. you're in love  
Ohhh  
At least out loud,  
I won't say I'm in love _

The last verus of the song faded away in the distance, but I didn't even notice as James reached his hand out and stopped the flow of water with two of his fingers. There was a pause where no sound was made, but then he suddenly laughed and exhaled loudly. "What are you doing here Stephanie?" he asked and he pulled his fingers away from the stream of water.

He turned around so his black eyes could face mine. I gasped, "How did you know?"

"I could hear you breathing," he said simply. I raised an eyebrow, I wasn't a mouth-breather and I'm sure he couldn't have heard me from the large space between us.

"Shouldn't you be with your date?" His voice was not hard nor angry, it was simply emotionless.

"I don't think that's any of your business. Shouldn't you be with your date?" I asked, in a snotty voice placing my hands on my hips.

"She'll be out in a minute, she's getting drinks." He smirked at me as if to say 'so stop spying on me'.

"Oh, okay," I mumbled, my cheeks red and blushing. "I'll, um, see you later then." I turned to leave, but I stopped- the tinkling of the water was gone. I blinked and looked back. James was standing there, using the water to splash on his beautiful face. When he didn't hear my footsteps that should be disappearing into the castle, he bent up and rounded on me. Parts of his black hair had fallen out of his perfectly gelled back style to become wet and plastered to his face. He looked incredibly normal at that moment.

"James…" I said, my voice floating in the air, I didn't know what else to say.

"Go Stephanie," he stated, but his eyes were soft on my own brown ones. "Before its too late."

I could feel confidence swelling in my chest, I didn't want to leave. "James…" I started again, but he cut me off in his silky voice.

"Don't say it…" he commanded, but added a second later, "Please." James seemed so innocent, so afraid of what was happening between us.

"You know what I'm going to say anyways." Somehow I knew he did. "James, how can you deny it?"

"Simple," he spat and turned back to the water fountain to gather more water in his pale hands. "I'll pretend you just never existed."

I sighed, "You make it seem so easy."

"It's not." James growled, but then I felt his back stiffen as if he did not want me to know how hard it was for him. I had a feeling he couldn't get me out of his head, just like I couldn't stop thinking of him.

I stepped closer to him, letting my own fingers drift through the cool water from the fountain. It felt soft, and I allowed the water to wash the sweat from my palm. Why did he make me so nervous?

I looked back up at him and he was staring at me, his forehead crumpled in thought. I stared back at him, letting the strange feeling from him invade my body. I loved the tingle that he made me feel. I felt warm and safe.

"Kiss me," I demanded.

James just looked back at me, he didn't dare move.

"Didn't you hear me?" I barked, angrily, a pout forming on my lips. "I said kiss me James Liddre! Kiss me right now!"

"You asked for it…" he hissed back, just as angrily. But then his mouth came tumbling down on mine and the anger died in a second. The feeling, that warm tingling coursed through me again, but much stronger this time. My body felt as if it were on fire, James' lips were molded against mine, my hands curled around the front of his dress robes, pulling him closer.

When we broke apart, the thin line of his ruby lips were slightly parted and he was breathing heavier than normal. His lips then, didn't look so small. They looked delicious.

James didn't say anything, and I didn't want him too. I reached back up, my arms circling around his neck this time. "Again," I whispered, and he didn't object. His lips pressed back down onto mine, his tongue reached out skimming the bottom of my lip. I groaned softly, and tightened my hold on his neck. His arms reacted like mine, pushing me against his chest. Light as feathers, his hands stroked up and down my back.

Abruptly, I could feel him pulling away. _No, no. Don't leave me._ In less than a second, I knew he would push me away, turn and walk away- and in the process break my heart. Instead, quickly as I could, I dropped my arms and took a step back. His eyes fluttered open, orbs of darkness. He looked surprised that I would be the one to break it apart.

"Let me be the one to leave," I said, letting my heart crumble. "Just this once."

And I turned back to join Marcus at the dance, leaving my perfect fairytale behind.


	9. Maybe It’s Me

**Chapter 8:**

**Maybe It's Me**

I stayed out much later than I had expected. Marcus enjoyed the fact that James did not return to the dance, and I couldn't help feeling a little smug as Penny huffed around the dance looking for her date.

Marcus twirled me around the dance floor until my feet ached and the Great Hall had slowly died down to the older students and the few younger ones determined to stay up later.

"Let's go for a walk," Marcus whispered in my ear.

I flinched at his words, remembering my walk with James a few days ago. It hadn't gone well.

"I can't walk," I protested, taking off my heels from my blistered feet.

"I'll carry you." He smirked, hunching over so I could jump on his back.

He gave me a piggy back down to the lake, which was oddly romantic for a Malfoy. We stopped at the lake so I could dip my feet into the icy cold water. Marcus sat beside me, dangling his feet just above the lake.

"Ohh…" I sighed, letting the cold water surround my blistered feet. "Remember to never let me dance that much again."

Marcus chuckled, watching my feet create ripples of waves in the flat surface of the water. "You didn't have to go to the dance with me."

I looked at him from the side of my eyes. He was still staring at the lake. "You asked me, didn't you?"

"I didn't know you were actually going to say yes."

That stung. I flinched back at his words, pulling my feet out of the lake and hugging my knees to my body. I didn't say anything, and waited until he was forced to look up from the water and into my eyes.

"I didn't mean it like that," he whispered into the night. It was dark and I could only see the outline of his face and the sparkle of his gray-blue eyes from the glow of the moonlight.

"Then how did you mean it?" I asked, feeling the chill of the wind on my bare skin.

He decided not to answer me. "What's going on with you and Liddre?"

"Nothing at all," I lied. Which could be right, you never knew with the mystery of James.

"You don't like him?"

"No."

Marcus turned the full force of his gorgeous and true blue eyes onto my own brown ones. "Potter…" he drawled with annoyance.

I turned away from him and stared up at the glowing full moon. "Who cares anyways?"

"I do," Marcus insisted.

"Why?" I asked.

"Cause your hot." He was good at lying. I turned back and looked at him pointedly.

"Really?" I asked, pursing my lips in a very unattractive way.

He laughed, one of his hands reached out and squeezed the sides of my cheeks. "Yes," he answered, but then rolled his eyes. "Okay, its because of your trust fund too."

Quick as lightening, I slapped him hard against his face. I stood up, looking down at his stunned face. I wanted to kick him, push him in the lake. Everyone wanted to be near me because I was famous, rich, and the daughter of the greatest and purest, kind- hearted wizard ever.

"How dare you," I hissed, resisting all my urges to hit him again. I turned on my heel and began to walk away.

"Wait!" Marcus yelled, I could hear him scurrying to his feet to chase after me. I began to run, not wanting to see his face. I ran as fast as I could, but my feet were swollen and blistered and I didn't make it very far before he pounced.

And he really did pounce. He jumped to stop me, grabbing my shoulder to pull me down on the slightly damp grass.

"Stephanie, Stephanie!" he cried over and over as I struggled away from him. "Stephanie, you must know I'm joking!"

I stopped struggling then, wanting to spit in his eye. His hands had pinned me down by my wrists, and I couldn't get up if I tried. A joke? He had made a joke of my strongest fear, to be used, and to be unloved.

"Get. Off. Of. Me." I said through my teeth.

Marcus looked me directly in the eyes. "No."

"Get off me!" I screamed, my voice echoing through the air. He flinched at the loudness of my yell. Someone would come running.

"No," he growled again. "Not until you listen to me."

I turned my head away from him, looking sideways at the grass. I still couldn't move, his weight pressed into me.

"It's because I'm a Malfoy isn't it?"

I didn't look at him, because it was true. He was a Malfoy, I was a Potter. It just didn't work out.

"Stephanie!" he ordered, lifting one of his hands off of my wrist to try and turn my face. I refused, forcing my chin to remain against the grass.

"Go away," I mumbled, my neck beginning to strain.

"No." His other hand released my imprisoned wrist and instead moved down to my waist, he stroked my side, urging me to look at him.

I could push him away now, I could push him away and flee back into the castle. I wanted so badly to curl up in my bed and fall asleep.

"Is it because I'm a gryfindor?"

That made me look at him, his pale face was right infront of me. "Yes," I answered, I could blame it on that. Slytherins hated Gryfindors. I could use an excuse.

Marcus Malfoy gazed into my eyes, trying to see if I was lying. But I was good at hiding what I was really feeling. He bought the fake shine in my eyes.

He laughed then, the hand on my chin dropping to rub against my side like the other one. "I don't care."

Then he kissed me. It was so fulled with definance that it scared me. He was defying his last name, and so was I. We were defying our houses, we were defying our friends and life. The kiss was to defy the world.

I let him kiss me, not really feeling as if this were love. There was no love in that kiss, only a kiss to prove others wrong. A rebellious kiss.

I opened my eyes during the kiss, for I didn't want to put true passion into it. True romance wasn't in this kiss. My eyes widen, shocked. James stood by the lake, watching us, his wand held loosely at his side. He had come running.

I gasp, and Malfoy took advantage of my open mouth. I sputtered, pushing my hands against his chest.

"Get off of me you fool!" I yelled against his lips. Marcus backed off, looking at me with his eyes sparkling with anger.

He rolled off me, annoyed, pressing his back into the damp grass. I looked up to the spot where James was standing, he was gone.

"Can't you just enjoy the moment?" Marcus asked, annoyed.

"Keep your tongue out of my mouth, Malfoy," I hissed, getting up and dusting the dirt off my silver gown.

"Aw," he mocked me. "Don't be a baby. Come sit back down and kiss me again."

I looked at him, really tempted to spit into his eye. But instead, I turned and huffed back into the castle. I could hear Malfoy's pleads for me to come back from his spot on the grass.

The ground had soaked my dress, and it clung to my legs awkwardly as I made my way down to the Slytherin common room. The dungons where cold and I shivered pulling up the hem of my dress as I decended down the stairs.

As soon as I entered the common room, the warm fire rushed to my bare skin. A few seventh years were still huddled by the fireplace, so I made my way to my dorm room, pulling out the pins in my hair. My hair was drenched and my now soggy curls had untwisted. _Malfoy_, how dare he!

I was welcomed into my room with the snores of the Slytherin girls, they were all sleeping. I could see Penny had fallen asleep with her gown and makeup on, stains creased against her pillow.

Quickly as possibly, I stripped out of my dress and rushed to my side of the room. All I wanted was my nice warm bed. My curtains were drawn closed as always, the morning light always woke me up. My bare feet padded against the hardwood floors as fast as I could manage without waking up the other girls and dived through the small opening of the curtains.

"Hi," a silky voice said, two dark black eyes looking at me.

I opened my mouth to scream.

"Silenco!" he whispered, and my scream turned into a squeak.

"James?" I mouthed, no sound coming out. My eyes widened.

"I'll turn your voice back if you promise not to scream."

I glared at him for a few moments, then nodded my head, reluctantly.

His wand waved against my throat. I flinched back from the movement.

"What are you doing here?" I asked, rubbing my neck.

"This is the slytherin dorms," he replied, in a voice filled with snobbery.

"I ment in my bed."

James just looked at me with those piercing black eyes.

"Well?" I pestered.

He sighed, stretching out on my small bed. "I thought I'd return the favour."

Now it was my turn to glare.

"You do realize your not wearing any clothes don't you?" James tsked.

I looked down, instantly covering my body. I wasn't _naked_, but I didn't want to be sitting on my bed with only my bra and undies on with James Liddre. He was still wearing his robes from the dance and I couldn't take my eyes off of his muscled arms. Well, okay, maybe I did want to be with James like this.

But it wasn't fair. I didn't want to be like this, a rose to my cheeks with him smirking at me. "Give me your robes then," I ordered.

"No."

"You baby, why?"

"Cause their mine."

"And you're a prefect?" I snipped, irritated. "Denying a girl some clothes?"

James huffed before shruggling out of his robes. I grinned, delighted, but under his robes he wore a loose tshirt and long black boxers. He gave me a look to say 'as if'.

"Are you here to pretend?" I asked, throwing on his robes that hung extremely baggy off of my body. I hadn't realized there were so much fabric for his robies, they weighed me down and I laid down on one of the many pillows at the head of my bed.

"Yes," James said curtly, laying down beside me, but making sure not to touch me.

I relaxed, I thought he'd be mad about what he saw outside.

We were silence for a while before he spoke.

"So you like Malfoy huh?"

I decided not to answer.

I heard James click his tongue before propping himself on one of his elbows so he could look at me. "Tell me," he demanded.

"I'm not going to if your going to talk to me like that!"

He clenched his teeth, angrily. "I can talk to how I want. You can't manipulate me like you do everyone else."

"I don't!" I declared.

"You do," he hissed.

"Liar."

"Oh how mature."

"That coming from a big git like you!"

Then our mouths smashed together, his tongue entering my mouth with such incredible lust. My heart pounded into my ears, my eyes blinded with the taste of him.


End file.
